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Abbot of Scone

Seal of Scone Abbey.

Another seal of Scone Abbey.

The Abbot of Scone, before 1163 x 4, Prior of Scone, and then by the beginning of the 16th century, the Commendator of Scone, was the head of the community of Augustinian canons of Scone Abbey and their lands. The priory was established by King Alaxandair mac Ma l Choluim (Alexander I) sometime between 1114 and 1120, and was elevated to the status of an abbey in 1163 or 1164. The abbey was turned into a secular lordship for William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie in 1581, but was forfeited when the earl was executed in 1584, given to William Foularton in the same year, but restored to the earl's son, James Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie. An independent secular lordship was established for David Murray in 1608.

List of priors of Scone
List of abbots of Scone
List of commendators
Notes
Bibliography
See also

List of priors of Scone

Robert (I), 1114 x 1120-1127
Nicholas, 1127-1140
Dionysius, 1140 - 1142 x 1147
Thomas, 1150-1154
Isaac, 1154-1162
Robert (II), 1162

List of abbots of Scone

Robert (II),^[1] 1163x1164-1186
Robert (III), 1186-1198
Reimbald, 1198-1206
William, 1206 x 1209-1225
Robert (IV), 1227
Philip, 1230-1242
Robert (V), 1240-1270
Nicholas, 1270-1273 x^[2]
William, 1273 x 1284
Hugh, x 1284-1287
Thomas de Balmerino, 1291-1312^[3]
Henry Man, 1303-1320
Simon, 1325-1341
Adam de Crail, 1343-1344
William, 1354-1370 x 1391
Alexander, 1370 x 1391-1412 x 1417
Alexander de Balbirnie, 1412 x 1417-x1418
Adam de Crannach (Aberdeen), 1418-1432
John de Inverkeithing, 1432
William de Skurry, 1435-1439
James Kennedy, 1439-1447^[4]
George Gardiner, 1445-1447
Thomas de Camera,^[5] 1447-1458
John Crambe, 1465-1491
David Lermonth, 1492-1496
Henry Abercrombie,^[6] 1492
James Abercrombie, 1492-1514

List of commendators

Alexander Stewart de Pitcairne, 1518-1537^[7]
Patrick Hepburn,^[8] 1538-1571
William Lord Ruthven, 1571
John Ruthven, 1580
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 1581-1584
William Foularton, 1584
James Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, 1587-1588
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, 1592-1600
David Murray (later Lord Scone and Viscount Stormont), 1608

Notes

↑ Previously prior of Restenneth; became prior of Scone in 1162, and continued as abbot after promotion of the priory to an abbey.
↑ Became bishop-elect of Caithness in 1273, and although the election was cancelled, he may have resigned his abbacy. His successor William occurs in a document of the period, but the dating is uncertain.
↑ Imprisoned by the English government; Henry Man became abbot in his place, but he was still claiming the abbacy, and managed to get back in office in 1312.
↑ Commendator; granted comment along with the bishopric of Dunkeld, which he held until his translation to St Andrews.
↑ Previously prior of May.
↑ Previously abbot of Cambuskenneth.
↑ Also commendator of Inchaffray.
↑ Previously prior of St Andrews.

Bibliography

Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), pp. 97-8
Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 198-202